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Wikipedians in Residence are Wikimedians who dedicate time to working in-house at an organization. Wikipedians in Residence are usually financially compensated by the institution or by a Wikimedia chapter, but they may also be volunteers. The Wikipedian in Residence model was first piloted by the GLAM initiative, but has since been adopted to other types of organizations.
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- Are you considering if a residency is right for your institution? Check out The Children's Museum success story for a testimonial from the museum's Director of Websites and Emerging Media. For more information about past projects carried out by residencies, view the case studies or read on.
[edit] Core characteristics of a Wikipedian in Residence
- Serves as a liaison between the organization and the Wikimedia community to promote a mutually beneficial cooperation.
- Promotes understanding of Wikimedia among staff at the organization through workshops and events.
- Works with organizational staff to digitize, compile, and organize resources that can be shared with the Wikipedia community.
- Facilitates the improvement of content by the Wikipedia community, rather than directly editing articles as a core goal.
- Coordinates events, such as Hack-a-Thons, Edit-a-Thons, or Backstage Passes, that bring Wikipedians on-site to work with staff on content creation and improvement.
- Avoids Conflict of Interest by not editing articles directly relating to the organization.
- Formally coordinated by the institution, allowing the resident to work closely with staff for various projects.
- Ultimately, a residency lays the foundation for a more lasting partnership between the Wikipedia community and an organization.
[edit] Types of projects carried out by residencies
Infographic with compiled data from July 2011.
Activities organized by Wikipedian in Residence are broad and varied. Some of these projects include:
- Facilitating content improvement in partnership with curators and the Wikipedia communities
- Coordinate image or multimedia donations
- Organizing visits/events (e.g. "backstage passes" for Wikipedians)
- Organizing challenges and competitions, that promote article improvement
- Teaching about Wikipedia practices and values, etc.
[edit] How to find a resident
The best way to locate a potential Wikipedian in Residence is to connect with your local Wikimedia chapter. If there is no chapter for your area, you can post an inquiry on the talk page of an appropriate WikiProject on Wikipedia. Often these can be found through WikiProjects associated with your city, state, province, or country. Check the WikiProject Geographical Directory to get started. You can also Contact us or send an email at glam wikimedia.org.
[edit] Essential Criteria
- On-site attendance, "in residence" means being physically based in the organisation for most of the time.
- Working for mutual benefit whilst upholding the policies of both the institution and Wikimedia.
- Enabling of community interaction in both directions.
- Avoid conflict of interest, especially when editing articles about the institution, itself.
- Teaching ability - to GLAM professionals about Wikimedia and vice versa.
[edit] Recommendations for the institution
- On-staff "champion" who supports the project officially from within the organisation.
- Clearly defined role for the project - not mixed with other social media/web management.
[edit] General Criteria for an Ideal Wikipedian (not gospel)
- Knowledge of the profession
- Charisma to encourage a group of volunteers to support the project.
- Presentation skills, and the patience to explain free-licenses/wikipedia... frequently.
- Existing Wikimedian in good standing.
[edit] Sample job description
The National Archives seeks applicants for a Wikipedian in Residence for Summer 2011. The Wikipedian in Residence is a student intern role. The Wikipedian in Residence will work as a community coordinator and strengthen the relationship between the Archives and the Wikipedian community through a range of activities.
- This may include:
- promoting participation in new or existing WikiProjects related to the holdings of the National Archives;
- adding content to the Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource sites from digital copies of the holdings of the National Archives;
- assisting with the digitization and online posting of archival materials;
- working with Archives staff to explain Wikipedia’s practices;
- organizing special events, such as backstage pass tours or editing challenge days, for the Wikipedian community; and
- sharing the experience with the Wikipedian community and the public via videos, newsletter articles, or blog posts on our NARAtions blog or other blogs.
—National Archives and Records Administration (April 2011)
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[edit] Different successful formats
- Time allocation
- Fulltime for a very short period (e.g. British Museum project, 5 weeks)
- Fulltime for a longer period (e.g. Chateau de Versailles project, 6 months)
- Part time for a long period (e.g. Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, 1 year)
- Rewards
- Wholly unpaid (e.g. British Museum project)
- Study credit (e.g. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, first 3 months)
- Stipend/scholarship (e.g. Chateau de Versailles)
- Paid internship (e.g. NARA projects)
- Contract employee (e.g. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, year 2)
- Recruitment method
- Published job offer through official recruitment process (e.g. NARA) [could add Chapter rep. to interview panel if necessary].
- Outsource recruitment to local Wikimedia Chapter (e.g. Versailles project)
- Informal recruitment through existing social media connection (e.g. Indianapolis Museum of Art)
- Identify existing Wikipedia community leader in relevant field (e.g. Israeli Museum)
- Self-initiated contact from a Wikimedian to the institution (e.g. British Museum)
[edit] Wikipedians in Residence
| Organization |
Location |
Wikimedian |
Timeframe |
| British Museum |
London, UK |
Liam Wyatt |
June-July 2010 |
| The Children's Museum of Indianapolis |
Indianapolis, IN |
Lori Phillips |
Aug 2010-present |
| Château de Versailles |
Versailles, France |
Benoît Evellin |
Feb 2011-Aug 2011 |
| Museu Picasso |
Barcelona, Spain |
Àlex Hinojo |
March 2011-Aug 2011 |
| Archives of American Art |
Washington, DC |
Sarah Stierch |
May 2011-October 2011 |
| US National Archives |
Washington, DC |
Dominic McDevitt-Parks |
June 2011-present |
| Derby Art Gallery and Museum |
Derby, UK |
Roger Bamkin |
April 2011-present |
| Australian Paralympic Committee / National Sport Information Centre |
Canberra, Australia |
Laura Hale |
May 2011-present |
| Museum of Modern Art |
New York City, NY |
Richard Knipel |
June 2011-December 2011 |
| Open Knowledge Foundation Germany |
Berlin, Germany |
Daniel Mietchen |
July 2011-present |
| Israel Museum, Jerusalem |
Jerusalem, Israel |
Yair Talmor |
September 2011-November 2011 |
| National Library of Israel |
Jerusalem, Israel |
Daniel Tsvi Framowitz |
December 2011-May 2012 |
| Africa Centre |
Cape Town, South Africa |
Francis Awinda |
January 2012-December 2012 |
| lettera27 Foundation |
Milan, Italy |
Remulazz |
March 2011-present |
| Nationalmuseet |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
Ole Palnatoke Andersen |
April 2012-May 2012 |
| British Library |
London, UK |
Andrew Gray |
May 2012-October-2012 |
[edit] Seeking applicants
[edit] Details on specific residencies
[edit] Further information
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wikimedia.org.
